Oceans of Time
~Chapter One~
Days like this were so stressful. Heavy workload from each class topped off with five hours of work to help pay for tuition. Makoto wondered sometimes why she even bothered getting an English degree. Her Grandfather had offered to help her find a job in the Tsukiji district fish market where he had connections but she didn't even want to imagine handling fish for the rest of her life. Thinking about that made her feel a little bit better about the path she was on now.
Writing was something that had taken a place in her life over the last few years. It was a big stress reliever and it felt nice to write her thoughts down on paper. It was the only thing that would listen to her without thinking she was crazy. Besides her Aunt that is. Auntie Majo had always listened to her when she rambled on about things that would make other people believe that she was insane. But her Aunt wasn't there all the time, especially now that she was engaged.
Makoto dropped her bag off just inside the door of her dorm room before going to the washroom to change out of her work uniform. She had lived with her parents in her first semester of University thinking it would be a good way to save money but between school, work, and all the time she spent on the subway, it barely left any time for homework. Even now, in her third year of University and living on campus, she was still struggling to be in the top percentile.
After she was done showering she sat down at her laptop and began working on her final essay. She had begun working on it three months in advance knowing full well that leaving things till the last minute was a very bad idea. Still, after two hours of organizing information, she was ready to call it quits. She closed most of the files she had up before opening a document titled 'The Boy From the Future.' After that she was consumed in her writing until her roommate, Yuuka, returned carrying a load of books.
"Long day at the Library?" Makoto asked as Yuuka dropped her books off on her desk with a loud thud.
"Yeah, Professor Kobayashi was born to torture. Twenty page essay due in two weeks."
"Jeez..."
"I know, but I'm calling it quits for the day. Have you had dinner yet?" She asked walking into the washroom to adjust her hair and makeup.
"Not yet, no."
"I'm craving McDonald's. Want to join me?"
"Aren't you on a diet?"
"Don't even start."
"How about Yamada's diner? It's closer."
Yuuka sighed heavily, "Alright let's go."
At first Yuuka ordered a small salad and a diet Pepsi but then she cracked down and was going to go all out. Makoto stopped her by offering her some of her fries.
"Makoto, I don't know who's ever kept me on track with my diet better than you."
"Glad to hear it."
"No really! You're saving me from love handles!" she said it like it was the worst thing in the world. Makoto laughed at this.
"No problem."
"By the way, do you know that guy sitting at that booth over there?" Yuuka asked nodding in the direction she was speaking of from her seat at the bar, while lifting her drink and sipping from the straw.
"Who?" Makoto asked turning her head slightly to look from the corner of her eye.
"He's wearing a dress hat and an overcoat. Kind of looks like a blast from the past."
Makoto finally spotted him. He was reading a newspaper and the shadow of his hat hid his face. If you replaced his cigarette with a cigar, he would look like he was plucked right out of the roaring twenties.
"Nope," Makoto turned back around, "never seen him before in my life."
"Well he's been staring at you the whole time we've been here."
"Creepy..." Makoto said with a look on her face like she'd just seen something disgusting.